Oscars 2015 live: 'Birdman,' 'Grand Budapest Hotel' lead winners

Feb 22, 2015 | 9:38 PM

The 87th Academy Awards show has ended, with “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and "Birdman" winning four trophies apiece. Julianne Moore won for lead actress and Eddie Redmayne for lead actor. And Lady Gaga sang a medley from "The Sound of Music" that won't soon be forgotten.

The eighth time was a charm for French composer Alexandre Desplat, who won for his original score for "The Grand Budapest Hotel." He was also nominated this year for his music in "The Imitation Game."

Desplat described the statuette as the ultimate award a filmmaker can dream of, and paid tribute to the film's director, Wes Anderson. "It's all him. Actually he should have this award," said the composer. "Wes was like any great director -- he is very detailed."

The score for "Budapest" combines sounds and styles from music across Central Europe to evoke the fictional country where the film's action takes place.

“Birdman” won the Oscar for best picture. Directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu and starring Michael Keaton, the film is a darkly comic look at fame and ego. In a very tight race for the top prize, the film beat out other top contenders “Boyhood” and “American Sniper.”

Standing ovation for Julianne Moore

It's her time! Did you see that standing ovation? Moore gave a great performance in a so-so movie, “Still Alice.” This is her fifth nomination and no one offered any resistance to the idea that this was a fine spot to honor her. I'd like to go back and watch the movie again, just to concentrate on the way she charted the decline of her character, who's suffering from early onset Alzheimer's. The movie's weaker elements distracted me the first time around.

Moore seemed so happy at the podium, too. Adding five years to your life span will do that, I guess.

Julianne Moore has won the Oscar for lead actress for her portrayal of Alice Howland, a linguistics professor beset with early onset Alzheimer's disease in “Still Alice.” Moore's win, her first in five nominations, was largely expected, as the actress had swept all awards in that category leading up to the Oscars.

'This Oscar ... this Oscar!'

You see what I'm talking about? He is so damn charming, so appreciative. Hard to see how you can fault the choice here. For the physical transformation alone, Eddie Redmayne's performance in "The Theory of Everything" was incredible. And he conveyed Stephen Hawking's intelligence and formidable love of life. Tough category. All deserving. But Redmayne had just that little bit extra.

8:53 p.m.

So many British nominees this year

British actors make up 25% of this year's acting nominees. The Brits haven't been this well represented in the Oscars since 2002, when eight out of 25 acting nominees were from Britain.

Los Angeles Times

Want more Oscars trivia? Head here to play our interactive bingo game as the ceremony goes on.

8:51 pm

In Memoriam controversy

It's not an awards show until someone gets left out of the memorial and social media goes on the warpath.

Eddie Redmayne has won the Oscar for lead actor for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything,” a story centered largely on Hawking's debilitating ALS and his first marriage.

Redmayne's win, with his first nomination, caps a tight lead actor race that many expected to see Michael Keaton win.

Up now: Lead actor

Finally an acting category with some suspense. Based on past awards shows, if Eddie Redmayne wins, I think he might pass out. He gets so emotional -- especially for an Englishman! Where's that stiff upper lip? Anyway, somebody get ready to hand him a handkerchief.

"Thomas and Paul, thank you for giving me my beautiful children. Enzo and Harlow, you're the deepest people that I know. My friends who all work so hard to make this world a better place.

"To my parents, Rosanna, Richmond, Alexis and David. To my favorite painter in the world, Eric White, for the inspiration of living with a genius. To my heroes, volunteers and experts who have helped me bring ecological sanitation to the developing world with GiveLove.org. To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights. It's our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America."

8:41 pm | Did you know?

It's all about the drama

Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times

Using IMDb records, UCLA researchers analyzed every Oscar-eligible film between the founding of the academy in 1927 through 2005 (that's 171,539 performances by 39,518 actors in 19,351 films). They concluded that dramas were 90% more likely to receive nominations.